Bruce Maylath

Writing Globally Teaching the Technical Writing Student to Prepare Documents for Translation

The global marketplace and the Information Age have combined to extend documentation across national borders. To date, however, few programs in scientific and technical communication have taken steps to accustom their students to the translation procedures they must undertake and the mind-set they must adopt to ready documents for translation. This article argues that technical communication courses, particularly introductory courses in technical writing, must include a translation component if they are to prepare students for the kind of work they are now likely to encounter as technical communicators.

Learning Localization through Trans-Atlantic Collaboration: Bridging the Gap

In light of what has taken place since their presentation at the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference in 2005, the authors describe additional requirements and merits of matching technical writing students in the US with translation students in Europe in a collaborative assignment. Where the original article dealt with how to set up and organize the collaboration, this tutorial delves into the pedagogical challenges and the process dynamics involved in such an exchange, including mediation, power, and teamwork issues.

Field Convergence between Technical Writers and Technical Translators: Consequences for Training Institutions

As translation of technical documents continues to grow rapidly and translation becomes more automated, the roles of professional communicators and translators appear to be converging. This paper updates preliminary findings first presented at the 2008 International Professional Communication Conference, Montreal, QC, Canada. It analyzes trends revealed from recent surveys and recommends follow-up research to determine if the trends may continue and become entrenched. The authors conclude with recommendations for academic programs interested in adjusting to the trends.

Learning localization through trans-Atlantic collaboration

Instructors of technical writing in the USA and of translation/localization in Europe describe what has taken place over a period of six years when they have matched technical writing students in the USA with translation students in Europe in a collaborative assignment.

Professional communication and translation in convergence

As translation of technical documents becomes commonplace, and as translation becomes more automated, the roles of translator and technical communicator appear to be converging. This paper examines the trend revealed from recent surveys, and it suggests further research to determine if the trend is likely to continue. The paper also provides recommendations for academic programs interested in adjusting to the trend.

Interactivities between professional translators and professional communicators: what translators would like communicators to know

This tutorial is designed to acquaint professional communicators with the challenges that professional translators face when localizing the texts that communicators send them for translation. The presenters will engage participants in activities that will demonstrate terminology management, notional equivalence, culturally bound references, and revising and reviewing.

Assessors’ Language Awareness in the Evaluation of Academic Writing

To date, Language Awareness and the evaluation of academic writing have focused primarily on learners and how their awareness of language can help them achieve better results in their writing for the academy. Only secondarily have researchers asked how assessors’ awareness of language might affect evaluations of academic writing. Since ‘language awareness’ has been thought to raise’ sensitivity to and conscious awareness’ of language in action (van Lier, 1991, p. 532; citing Donmall, 1985), and since it has been seen as ‘a means to bridge the consciousness gap within the individual’ (James & Garrett, 1991, p. 5), one can consider research on writing assessors’ evaluation practices as an attempt to gauge assessors’ sensitivity and consciousness to language and its variation. To that end, the research in this area can be seen as attempts to answer the following questions: What factors influence writing assessors? How and why do these factors influence them? Are they aware of language and language variation? Are they aware of language’s effects on their judgements?